Medicine: Capsules, Apr. 8, 1957

¶ Doctors rely heavily on the results of laboratory tests for both
diagnosis and prescription, but 2,500 members of the American Academy
of General Practice were warned in St. Louis last week that far too
many of the test findings are not accurate, and some are downright
wrong. Such test results, said Pathologist Louis S. Smith of Dallas,
"can be responsible for a major number of prolongations of illness and
some deaths." His suggested remedy: require more formal training for
technicians, then pay them better (only 8½% now make $80 a week).